Lindy named finalist for Jack Adams Award again this year

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

NEW YORK (May 1, 2007) -- Goaltender Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, center Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and goaltender Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks have been voted finalists for the Hart Trophy as League MVP as the NHL announced Tuesday the nominees for eight annual awards.

Crosby and Luongo each received his first career Hart Trophy nomination, Brodeur his third. All three Hart finalists are nominees for multiple awards; Luongo also is a nominee for the Vezina Trophy and Lester B. Pearson Award, Brodeur for the Vezina and Crosby for the Pearson.

The winners will be announced Thursday, June 14 during the 2007 NHL Awards Television Special at the historic Elgin Theatre in Toronto (CBC, 8:30 p.m., ET).

For the first time since the inception of the NHL Awards Television Special in 1983, there are more than the traditional three finalists for an NHL trophy. A third-place tie in balloting for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the League's top goaltender as voted by NHL General Managers, has resulted in invitations to four finalists for that honor.

Following are the finalists for each trophy, in alphabetical order:

CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding rookie): Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh Penguins; Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche.

FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY (outstanding defensive forward): Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes; Samuel Pahlsson, Anaheim Ducks; Jay Pandolfo, New Jersey Devils.

HART MEMORIAL TROPHY (most valuable player to his team): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.

JACK ADAMS AWARD (outstanding coach): Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres; Michel Therrien, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks.

JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY (outstanding defenseman): Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings; Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks; Chris Pronger, Anaheim Ducks.

LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY (sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche; Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning.

LESTER B. PEARSON AWARD (most outstanding player as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA): Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins; Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.

VEZINA TROPHY (outstanding goaltender): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames; Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers; Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks.
http://www.wgrz.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=47656

[shelby]

:bf1:

[YardRat]

:beers:

[pyrrhonist]

I will at least have 1 (and probably only 1) of my preseason picks come true:

Malkin for Calder

It's been clear even coming into the season that Malkin was the best player outside of the NHL, and he showed it the entire regular season. If only Statsny had gotten hot earlier, he might be a bigger threat to Evgeni.

As for Jack Adams, I applaud Lindy for the job he did again this regular season, but the Sabres got where they were expected to in the regular season. I think Vignault or Thierren gets the award. I'd probably give the nod to Vignault, as he took a team that rode Luongo's back the entire season and made it into a Northwestern Title, and the #3 seed.